Combined smoker/cooker unit

ABSTRACT

A combined cooker/smoker unit includes a partition dividing an open-topped container into a smoker compartment and a fuel compartment so that food can be smoked and cooked in the same unit without exposing that food directly to an open flame. The unit includes heat and mass transfer controls and an overall control for controlling the amount of heat and smoke to which the food is exposed and for automatically monitoring the conditions in the unit so that food can be repeatably and reliably cooked and smoked in an unattended manner. Alarms can also by included.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to the field of cooking, and inparticular to cooking and smoking of foods. specifically, the presentinvention relates to a unit which can safely and repeatably smoke andcook foods in the same unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The cooking of foods by means of barbecuing has been popular for manyyears, and in recent times many restaurants have specialized in thepreparation and serving of such foods. One example of such recentdevelopments is the so-called mesquite food taste that is obtained byexposing the food to burning mesquite.

The usual method of preparing such foods is to cook them over an openflame. The fat from the food drips into the flame and the resultingflare-up chars the food, while the smoke generated from the fireprovides the food with a smoked flavor.

The inventor is aware of many devices which are suitable for suchbarbecuing, With the home barbecue grille being quite popular.

However, such devices have many drawbacks when considered for home use,and many additional drawbacks when considered for use in a professionalrestaurant situation.

For example, the exposing of food directly to an open flame, Whileproviding a desired barbecue flavor, also exposes that food to beingcharred in a manner that may be dangerous to one's health. Recentstudies have indicated that food that has been charred in this mannermay be carcinogenous.

Still further, such direct exposure may raise the possibility of agrease fire due to the dripping of grease directly into an open flame.As is well known, grease fires are extremely dangerous. For this reason,a home barbecue unit that exposes food directly to an open fire shouldnever be left unattended.

In addition to the above, such method of cooking is not at all conduciveto producing repeatable results. That is, the food may be smoked to justthe right flavor one time, but over- or under-cooked the next due todifferences in cooking conditions. This is not an entirely suitablecondition for the home unit, but is not at all acceptable to aprofessional restaurant which must be able to provide food that isuniform from one serving to the next. Still further, due to theabove-discussed dangers of grease fires, the restaurant situation isexacerbated as the fires are often large and thus should definitely notbe left unattended. This may be wasteful of both manpower and difficultto achieve.

Accordingly, there is need for a unit that can both cook food in a safeand repeatable manner that can be closely controlled, yet is safe tooperate, and which can be operated in an unattended manner yet willstill produce safe, repeatable and precise results.

Another desirable attribute of a cooking means is efficiency. Efficiencycan be achieved by a having a cooking unit perform more than onefunction. That is, some designs have attempted to combine cooking withwarming functions to make the cooking units somewhat more efficient.However, the inventor is not aware of any cooking unit that can bothcook food and smoke that food in the same unit in a manner that alsosatisfies the above-stated conditions and overcomes the above-stateddrawbacks associated with known devices that are used to produce foodhaving a smoked flavor.

Accordingly, there is need for a unit that can both cook and smoke foodin an efficient manner while still overcoming the above-mentioneddrawbacks.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is a main object of the present invention to provide a combinedsmoker/cooker unit which efficiently pre-smokes and cooks food in asingle unit.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a combinedsmoker/cooker unit that precisely and efficiently pre-smokes and cooksfood in the same unit.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a combinedsmoker/cooker unit that is precisely controllable.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a combinedsmoker/cooker unit that produces repeatable results.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a combinedsmoker/cooker unit that is capable of smoking food without exposing thatfood directly to the flame of a fire being used to produce such smoke.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a combinedsmoker/cooker unit that is capable of using wood as a source of fuelwithout exposing the food to being charred by flames associated with thecombustion of the fuel.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a combinedsmoker/cooker unit that is safe to operate.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a combinedsmoker/cooker unit that can be safely operated in an unattendedcondition and will still produced precisely controlled results eventhough operated in an unattended manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objects are provided by a combined smoker/cooker unitembodying the present invention which includes an open-topped containerthat is divided by a partition means into a smoker compartment and acooking compartment which are separate from each other so thatcombustion of fuel in the fuel compartment does not expose the foodbeing smoked and cooked in the smoker compartment to flames. The unitincludes heat and mass transfer means for controlling the temperatureand smoke in each compartment. A control means is also included tocontrol the heat and mass transfer means so that repeatable and preciseresults are attainable from the unit.

The flow path of smoke and air through the unit is controlled so thatthe conditions in each of the compartments can be used in the control ofthe overall unit and the conditions in each compartment can be carefullyand precisely controlled. Furthermore, the unit includes a flue whichcan include a heat and mass measurement device. This measurement devicecan be connected to the control means so that the conditions in the fluecan be factored into the overall control of the unit.

Each compartment is accessible via the open top of the unit andhingeably connected tops are included to close the compartmentsindividually. Each compartment also includes a support means, for thefuel in the fuel compartment and for the food in the smoker compartment,respectively, and each of these support means is movable toward and awayfrom the top of the unit. The means for moving the support means iscontrolled by the control means of the overall unit so the position ofthe support means can be factored into the overall control of the unit.

In this manner, the unit can be subjected to control that willefficiently produce the most desirable results.

The unit also includes safety means for preventing accidents. The safetymeans includes temperature sensor for preventing the accidental touchingof surfaces that are overheated. The safety means also includes meansfor shutting off all air flow into the unit if there is a dangerouscondition, such as an out-of-control fire. The alarm means can alsoinclude audible alarms so the unit can be left unattended while it is inoperation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable combined cooking and smokingunit for barbecuing and smoking food and embodying the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective of the FIG. 1 unit in a partially opencondition.

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of a partition means used in conjunctionwith the combined smoker/cooker unit of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation view of the unit of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the unit of the present invention in theopen condition.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the unit of the present invention in theclosed condition.

FIG. 7 is a rear elevation view of the unit of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of the invention which may be embodied in variousforms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosedherein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis forthe claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in theart to variously employ the present invention in virtually anyappropriately detailed structure.

Shown in FIG. 1 is a combined smoker/cooker unit 10 embodying thepresent invention. The unit 10 includes an open-topped container 12which can be supported by a plurality of legs, such as leg 16. Thecontainer includes a first end 18 and a second end 20 which areconnected by a front side 22 and a rear side 24 and a bottom 26. Thesides, bottom and ends cooperate to define the open-topped container.

As is best shown in FIG. 2, the unit is divided by a partition means 30which is mounted on the front and rear sides and the bottom of thecontainer to extend from the bottom thereof to the open top so as todivide the container into two compartments. These compartments include afuel compartment 32 located adjacent to the first end 18 and a smokercompartment 34 located adjacent to the second end 20. The partitionmeans 30 is best shown in FIG. 3 to include two holes 36 and 38 definedadjacent to lower edge 39 thereof. Also included in the partition meansis a cover 40 movably mounted on the partition means for closing andopening the holes 36 and 38. The cover includes a handle 42. The coveris shown in FIG. 3 as being monolithic, but can be collapsible so thatboth of the holes can be fully open at the same time or fully closed atthe same time as necessary to fulfill conditions that will be discussedbelow. The collapsing elements can include telescoping sections whichare connected by a motor-operated rack and pinion type arrangementwhereby the sections can be fully extended or fully collapsed asnecessary.

The holes 36 and 38 along with the cover means form part of a heat andmass transfer path through the unit 10, and heat and smoke generated inthe fuel compartment will move through the holes 36 and 38 to the smokercompartment in a manner that is controlled by the amount of opening ofthe holes 36 and/or 38 as determined by the cover means 40.

As best shown in FIG. 4, the container includes a draft means 48 forcontrollably conducting ambient air into the container. The draft means48 is located in container first end 18 and includes an access door 50having a handle 52 thereon and being hingeably mounted on the containerby a hinge 53. Fuel, such as wood, or the like, is placed into the fuelcompartment via the access door 50 and ash is removed via such door. Itis also noted that mesquite can be used in conjunction with the device10.

The draft means also includes a plurality of air-conducting openings,such as spiracle-like opening 54, are defined in the container first endto be located subadjacent to the door 50. These spiracle-like openingsare designed to conduct ambient air into the fuel compartment forpermitting combustion of such fuel. A cover means 56 is movably mountedon the container first end to cover and uncover these openings 54 tocontrol the amount of ambient air flowing into the fuel compartment. Thecover can include a handle 58 for manual control thereof, and can bemonolithic or collapsible as above discussed for the cover means 40. Aswill also be discussed below, the control of the cover means 56, likethe control of the cover means 40, can be automatic as well.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the heat and mass transfer path also includesa flue means 60 for conducting hot gas and smoke out of the containerand transferring it to a suitable location. The flue means 60 includes ahole 62 defined in second end 20 near the top thereof, and a conduit 64fluidically connected to that hole 62. The conduit includes a dampermeans 66 which is controlled to open and close the conduit as necessaryto influence the flow of heat and smoke through the container. Thedamper means includes a butterfly valve type body located inside theconduit and a handle connected to the body and extending outside of theconduit. The handle can be manually manipulated or can be controlled bya motor-operated gear system which is connected to a control means forautomatic control thereof in a manner that will be evident from theensuing discussion.

As can be seen from the above, the flow of heat and mass through thecontainer follows a path which includes the openings 54, then flowsthrough the fuel compartment to be heated and to receive the smokegenerated by combustion of the fuel, then the combination of heat andmass flows through the holes 36 and 38 in the partition means 30 intothe smoker compartment in a manner that is controlled by the degree ofopening of these holes 36 and/or 38. The heat and smoke circulatethrough and around the smoker compartment and exit that compartment viathe draft means hole 62 which is located near the top of thatcompartment in opposition to the bottom location of the entrance holes36 and 38. Thus, the smoke and hot air are forced to flow on a path thatcirculates efficiently in the smoker compartment. The hot air and smokeare then controllably conducted out of the container via the draft meansconduit.

Referring next to FIGS. 5 and 6, it can be seen that the unit 10includes a fuel supporting grate 70 having a handle 72 thereon, and afood supporting grille 74 having a handle 76 thereon. The grate and thegrille are supported on mounting means, such as flange 78 for the grateand flange 80 for the grille. The flanges are mounted on brackets, suchas bracket 82 mounted on the inner surfaces of the container walls to besupported in spanning relation to the compartments. The grille and thegrate are removed from the unit by grasping the handles thereof.

The brackets and flanges can include means for moving the grille and thegrate up and down in the compartments. Such a moving means is indicatedin FIG. 6 by the reference numeral 86, and includes a motor 88 connectedto the flanges supporting the grille and the grate by a linkage 90 whichincludes a gear 92 meshed with a rack 94. The flange 80 can include alike means, but such is not shown in FIG. 6 for the sake of simplicityand clarity. Operation of the motor 88 causes the flange 78 to raise orlower according to the direction of operation whereby the grate can belowered or raised. The grille can be moved in a like manner by a movingmeans associated therewith. The gear connection for a single flange,such as shown in FIG. 6 for flange 78, can be individually associatedwith the grate or individually with the grille, or these two elementscan be connected to the same motor as necessary. At any rate, the grilleand the grate can be raised or lowered to change the temperature towhich the food supported on the grille is subjected or the amount ofsmoke to which such food is subjected. Movement of the grate controlsthe amount of smoke and heat generated within the container by thecombustion of the fuel supported thereon due to the fluidic connectionof the fuel compartment to the draft means.

As is also shown in FIG. 5, the unit includes a fuel compartment cover100 hingeably connected to the rear side 24 and a fuel compartment cover102 hingeably connected to the rear side 24. Both of these coversinclude handles, such as handle 104, and are movable between a fullyopen configuration shown in FIG. 5 to a fully closed configuration shownfor the covers in FIG. 1. The unit also includes a cover control means106 connecting the covers to the container ends. The cover control means106 is best shown in FIG. 2, and attention is again directed to suchfigure. The cover control means is shown as being associated with cover102, but a similar control means can be used in conjunction with thecover 100; however such is not shown for the sake of clarity andsimplicity. As shown, the cover control means 106 includes means forholding the cover associated therewith in a partially closedconfiguration in order to further control the conditions existing withinthe container. The cove control means 106 includes a link 110 havingserrated portions thereon defining a slot 112 in which a tab 114attached to the associated cover is received. Position of the tab 114 inthe serrated slot 112 is held by the serrations, and dictates theposition of the cover 102 with respect to the container body. The tab114 can have a handle 116 which is manually manipulable, or can includea motor 120 connected to the tab 114 via a linkage and gear meanswhereby operation of the motor moves the tab in the slot.

As indicated in FIG. 7, the unit 10 also includes a control means 120for controlling operation of the various movable means discussed aboveto control the conditions in the container to be precise and repeatable.The control means 120 includes a controller element, such as amicroprocessor unit M, in a housing mounted on the rear side 24 of thecontainer and the various wiring paths are only indicated in general inFIG. 7 by wires 122 to power and wires 124 which are connected to thevarious elements of the control system, such as the motors, temperaturesensors, and the like for the sake of simplicity; however, one skilledin the art will be able to complete the various wiring circuits from thedescription herein.

The control system 120 includes a temperature sensor 126 on the smokercompartment cover 102 and a thermostat on the fuel compartment cover100. It is also noted that the covers can each include either or both ofthese temperature control and sensor elements if so desired. Thethermostat can be used to set a desired temperature in the compartmentassociated therewith, and the temperature measuring element, such as athermometer or the like, can be used to sense the temperature in thecompartment associated therewith. The control system can also include ameans for sensing the amount of smoke in either the fuel compartment orin the smoker compartment containing the food being prepared, or in bothof these compartments. Such a smoke sensing means can be similar tothose sensors used in smoke detectors commonly used in home fire andsmoke alarms. Such a smoke detector would include a circuit that hasbeen appropriately modified to sense various amounts of smoke, and torespond according to the amount of smoke detected. Suitable balancingcircuits, or the like may be appropriate for such measurements. Ofcourse, other mass measuring means can be used to measure the amount ofsmoke in the various locations in the unit without departing from thescope of the present invention, and such other means will occur to oneskilled in the art based on the present disclosure.

All of these elements are connected to the control system controllermeans for sending data thereto. The control system then collects andanalyzes this data in conjunction with the setting of the main controlby the user, and then supervises the overall action of the variousmotors in response to such setting and data analysis. Such controllermeans is connected to the motors, such as motor 8B, motor 120 or tomotors associated with the covering means associated with partitionmeans 30 or openings 54, the draft means or the like to operate thosemotors to change the heat and mass flow path through the container inaccordance with the setting of the thermostat and the sensed data fromthe temperature measuring means. The heat and mass flow path is alteredby opening and/or closing the various holes, conduits and/or the coversuntil the temperature set in each or both of the various compartments issensed. Suitable feedback control systems can be included in the controlmeans to ensure proper control of the system elements. At that time, thecontrol system merely monitors the compartments and operates the variousmotors to maintain such set temperature within a set range. The controlcan be altered by manually altering the thermostat or thermostats.Alternately, the control system can be disabled by an on/off switch 126so that the overall container system can be operated and controlledmanually if desired. Suitable alarms, such a light indicator 128 on thefront side 22, can also be included to indicate a condition, such as ahigh temperature condition, existing within one or both of thecompartments that cannot be controlled by the control system 120 or itsfeedback control system. Such an alarm is suitably connected to thecontrol means M and to the various temperature sensors located in theunit 10. The alarm can also include special temperature monitors locatedat various positions on the container, such as on the container adjacentto the fuel compartment and subadjacent to the cover thereof, or in asimilar position in the smoker compartment, or adjacent to the fluemeans, or the like, to monitor the unit in a manner that will render itsafe for use in the totally automatic mode. The alarm system can alsoinclude a temperature monitor on the covers or on their handles Whichsignals a condition that would render it dangerous to touch the handlesor the covers. The alarm system can also include means for automaticallyshutting all of the air supply holes and fully closing the covers toextinguish any fuel combustion in the event an over-temperaturecondition is not corrected within a predetermined time. The alarm caninclude audible signals as well.

It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present inventionhave been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited tothe specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown.

I claim:
 1. A combined smoker/cooker comprising:a body having first andsecond ends, front and rear sides, a bottom and an open top which areassociated with each other to form an open-topped container; a partitionmeans mounted within said open-topped container, said partition meansbeing connected to said bottom, and to said sides and extending fromsaid front side to said rear side to divide said open-topped containerinto a smoker compartment located adjacent to said first end and a fuelcompartment located adjacent to said second end, with said compartmentsextending from said ends to said partition means and from said bottom tosaid open top, said partition means having a hole defined therethroughfor defining a heat and mass transfer path between said smokercompartment and said fuel compartment, said hole being located to bepositioned adjacent to said body bottom; a fuel supporting grate mountedin said fuel compartment; a food supporting grille mounted in saidsmoker compartment; draft means on said body in said fuel compartmentand comprising draft openings in the body second end, and means foradjusting the sizes of said draft openings; flue means associated withsaid smoker compartment for removing smoke and heat from said smokercompartment and comprising a passage defined in said body first end; asmoker compartment cover hingeably connected to said body rear side; anda fuel compartment cover hingeably connected to said body rear side. 2.The combined smoker/cooker defined in claim 1 further including athermometer mounted on said smoker compartment cover for measuring thetemperature in said smoker compartment.
 3. The combined smoker/cookerdefined in claim 2 further including a thermostat mounted in said fuelcompartment cover.
 4. The combined smoker/cooker defined in claim 3further including a control means connected to said thermometer and tosaid thermostat for adjusting the heat and mass transfer path inconjunction with the conditions in said fuel compartment and in saidsmoker compartment.
 5. The combined smoker/cooker defined in claim 4further including moving means for moving said grille and said gratetoward and away from said body open top.
 6. The combined smoker/cookerdefined in claim 5 further including means connecting said control meansto said moving means.
 7. The combined smoker/cooker defined in claim 6further including covering means for covering and opening said partitionmeans hole to control the size of said heat and mass transfer path. 8.The combined smoker/cooker defined in claim 7 further including meansconnecting said covering means to said control means for controllingsaid heat and mass transfer path according to the conditions in saidfuel and smoker compartments.
 9. The combined smoker/cooker defined inclaim 8 further including a temperature and mass flow measuring means insaid flue means.
 10. The combined smoker/cooker defined in claim 9further including means connecting said flue temperature and massmeasuring means to said control means so that overall control of thetemperature in said smoker compartment and said fuel compartment canaccount for the temperature and the amount of smoke in said flue. 11.The combined smoker/cooker unit defined in claim 1 wherein saidpartition means includes a plurality of holes.
 12. The combinedsmoker/cooker unit defined in claim 1 wherein said flue means includes aconduit connected to said body first end to be fluidically associatedwith said smoker compartment via said passage, said conduit havinganother end spaced away from said body.
 13. The combined smoker/cookerunit defined in claim 4 further including means connecting said meansfor adjusting the sizes of said draft means openings to said controlmeans.
 14. The combined smoker/cooker unit defined in claim 4 furtherincluding cover moving means for moving said smoker compartment cover,and means connecting said cover moving means to said control means. 15.The combined smoker/cooker unit defined in claim 14, further including afuel compartment cover moving means and means connecting said fuelcompartment cover moving means to said control means.